Identité

Introduced at the 2016 IPCPR trade show in Las Vegas, L’Atelier Imports eventually released their much-anticipated Identité line in the spring of 2017. The cigars, like most from L’Atelier, use French branding, with Identité translating to “Identity,” highlighting the brand’s signature usage of Sancti Spíritus tobaccos in their blends.

Indeed, when L’Atelier debuted in 2012, their first cigar—L’Atelier (LAT)—incorporated Ecuadorian Sancti Spíritus for the cigar’s wrapper. One year later, Sancti Spíritus was used on the brand’s followup L’Atelier Maduro. And in 2015, Sancti Spíritus was used in the filler of L’Atelier La Mission.

For L’Atelier, this is the company’s identity, and as such, the Identité incorporates Sancti Spíritus in all three portions of the blend (dubbed “The Holy Trinity,” as Sancti Spíritus is Latin for “Holy Spirit”). The tobacco is a hybrid, combining criollo seed with the prized pelo de oro; the latter being notoriously difficult to grow, being prone to diseases and molds. This has become somewhat of a specialty for the García family, whom produces all of L’Atelier’s cigars. For the Identité, the cigars use Sancti Spíritus from the García’s Nicaraguan farms (binder and filler), as well as an Ecuador-grown version for the wrapper (using a higher priming version of the leaf used on the original LAT cigar, more in tune with the later-released LAT Selection Spéciale).

The cigar debuted in three sizes, named Melange Spécial No.1, No. 2, and No. 3—translating to “special mixture” or “special blend.”